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The Latest Breaking News from Custom Shop

“The 12-string I was accustomed to wasn’t performing. Gibson kindly said, ‘We’ll make you something special’”: Brian May’s first Gibson signature is here – and it’s got nothing to do with the Red Special

When the Queen legend announced he’d be working with Gibson, many expected a Custom Shop Red Special – but first, we have a 12-string SJ-200 that’s like no other

Guitar World

“It's not a Marvel movie or a Vegas residency – it's rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism”: Jack White responds to short sets criticism – and explains why you’ll never see him play for three hours

Recent shows have barely surpassed the hour mark, but White is refusing to bend to the wants of his naysayers

Guitar World

“Intricate finishes, exotic tonewoods, and immaculate details”: 12-string Telecasters, baritone offsets, and diamond-laced Strats headline the Fender Custom Shop's awe-inspiring 2025 Prestige Collection

Featuring half-a-dozen Strats, a pair of Teles, a Meteora, and a rare Performer model, all handcrafted, the Prestige Collection aims to represent the best of the best from the vaunted Fender Custom Shop

Guitar World

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“It’s not for sale… yet”: Jack White announces a Custom Shop version of his wild, ever-evolving Triplecaster – and it colors way outside the Fender lines

The tricked-out guitar was available to play at NAMM 2025, and marks the latest refinement of White’s bonkers Telecaster

Guitar World

“Everyone in the Custom Shop pushes one another to test the boundaries of their creativity and technical skills”: Fender Custom Shop ditches dry January with a cocktail-inspired guitar collection – and it’s a uniquely potent mix

With keenly spec'd Sub-Sonic Teles, Strats, Esquires and Strat Thinlines, the Cocktail Collection blends the artistry of fine guitar-making with the vibrant aesthetics and spirit of classic cocktails

Guitar World

NAMM 2025: “The NAMM Show has always been an excuse for guitar-makers to pull out all the stops”: Gibson turns the clock back to 1955 for a commemorative Murphy Lab Les Paul in five holy grail custom colours

Thanks to Joe Bonamassa, you'll all be familiar with Copper Iridescent, but how about a P-90 loaded Custom Shop LP in Samoa Beige, Nugget Gold, Viceroy Brown and Platinum?

MusicRadar

"While the aesthetic flourishes grab the headlines, this guitar’s mismatched specs are its secret weapon": Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Goldtop review

A Les Paul dressed up like an ES-295, Gibson's latest signature certainly has plenty of visual appeal, but can it deliver on playability and tone?

MusicRadar

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“Reveal coming soon”: At long lost, is Gibson finally working on James Hetfield signature guitars?

The Metallica frontman is poised to receive a Gibson Custom Shop creation that pays homage to his famed ‘So What’ 1984 Explorer. Could signature guitars be next?

Guitar World

“I got a chance to play the guitar that David Gilmour owned with serial number 0001 – and I was actually disappointed”: Why one of David Gilmour’s most iconic Strats underwhelmed Fender’s CEO – who tried to buy it at auction

Andy Mooney had already attempted to convince the Pink Floyd legend to let Fender reissue his legendary 0001 Strat, not long after he joined the company

Guitar World

“Jimmy was the player who defined the EDS-1275 from the day it was delivered to him”: Gibson launches new Custom Shop VOS Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 model – a meticulous recreation of the Led Zeppelin man's iconic double-neck that doesn't cost $50,000

While still exacting – with 3D scan rendering and molecularly accurate electronics – this replica of one of Page's most famous weapons diverges from its ultra-high-end predecessor in a few ways

Guitar World

“It’s kind of scary to go through these…like, ‘Oh I’m going to take that back!’”: Albert Hammond Jr of the Strokes is (reluctantly) selling a heap of his stage-played gear on Reverb, including a Guild acoustic from the Yours To Keep tour

Too bad his Bigsby-equipped SG has already been sold but that Mastery-equipped Jazzmaster looks pretty sweet, as does his Custom Shop Strat – and his father's Jupiter-6 synth is up for grabs too

MusicRadar

“Of all the rare custom Fenders introduced over the decades, few have inspired the kind of cult following that this has”: The original Mary Kaye Stratocaster – one of Fender’s most iconic builds – has sold at auction for over $220,000

Said to be the first-ever Fender Custom Shop build, the guitar helped Kaye’s name become synonymous with its now-iconic aesthetic

Guitar World

“It’s the best guitar in the world”: The Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine that Noel Gallagher played on Be Here Now fetches over $280,000 at auction

The 1997 Custom Shop doozie has changed hands a number of times over the years, this time going, going, gone at £226,000

MusicRadar

“When I brought up that I wanted to do another signature, P-90s became the obvious choice”: Warren Haynes has two signature Gibsons in the works – including a triple P-90 Firebird

The upcoming builds will see the Allman Brothers Band icon swap his tried-and-trusted humbuckers for something a little more left-field

Guitar World

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MusicRadar

“I am about to delve into P-90 world pretty hard... whenever I pick up a guitar with P-90s in it I get some inspiration”: Warren Haynes says he has been working with Gibson on two prototype signature guitars and one is a Firebird with three P-90s

The Gov't Mule frontman says a Les Paul and a Firebird are incoming...

Guitar World

“I’ve had many other Strats – I’ve never found one better than that”: John Frusciante’s first-ever Fender signature guitar is here – and it’s a $20k Custom Shop replica of his iconic 1962 Stratocaster

Fender Master Builder Paul Waller has painstakingly recreated the Red Hot Chili Peppers icon’s legendary sunburst Strat, which features all the relic’d cosmetics and electronics upgrades of the original

MusicRadar

“A new Inspired by Gibson Custom signature model from one of Japan’s most well-loved guitarists”: Epiphone and Tak Matsumoto strike gold with 1955 Les Paul Standard based on his vintage original

This Epiphone x Gibson Custom shop collaboration is liberally finished in Antique Gold and features USA Burstbucker Pros, but it’s only available in Japan and from the Gibson Garages

Guitar World

“Built to a standard that few can come close to – and for a grand under aFender Custom Shop Strat”: Patrick James Eggle 96 Rob Harris Signature review

When the guitarist for acid jazz/funk band Jamiroquai gets together with top luthier Patrick James Eggle, is it Virtual Insanity or will the results Blow Your Mind?

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Guitar World

“The fusion of two iconic legacies”: Fender’s Custom Shop channels Fender Japan’s most desirable designs for its latest luxury collaborative Stratocaster – which has been launched with a Bvlgari watch

The striking six-sring celebrates the Strat's 70th Anniversary with the help of Bvlgari, and takes inspiration from the Aerodyne and Elemental families

MusicRadar

“That guitar is part of Dad. I never even thought that of the idea that there might be a companion guitar to his”: Gibson salutes two American musical greats with the Custom Shop Rosanne Cash J-185 and Johnny Cash SJ-200 acoustics

These limited edition stunners take inspiration from the custom SJ-200s that Gibson made for the Man In Black and both feature signature custom pickguards and top-tier builds

Guitar World

“Meticulously engineered to deliver the ultimate expression of acoustic artisanry”: Yamaha’s top-tier FS9 acoustics combine the detailed craft of Japanese Kumiki woodworking and high-end appointments in a fingerpicker’s dream guitar

The luxurious new concert model looks to be taking on the US acoustic stalwarts’ modern ranges, but still sets out its Japanese heritage

Guitar World

“A guitar of one of his heroes”: John Mayer has been playing Jeff Beck’s Fender Stratocaster – and Joe Bonamassa has confirmed it’s the real deal

Mayer brought the Custom Shop model out during Dead & Company's residency at The Sphere, and used it to channel his inner Beck

Guitar World

“Ronnie Wood has a ’55 hardtail Strat and that one was incredible. And then Nile Rodgers’ Hitmaker Strat – that one’s incredible”: Fender’s Master Builders on what makes a good Stratocaster – and the best Strats they’ve ever played

As two of the Custom Shop’s best luthiers, there are few people in the world better qualified to talk Strats than Waller and MacNutt. They share the secrets behind the truly special ones – and the mods that could revitalize yours

Guitar World

“I would know if the ‘Red Eye’ was a good guitar even if I was stone deaf –you can feel it vibrating”: Gibson’s Custom Shop has recreated Jason Isbell’s prized 1959 Les Paul – formerly owned by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ed King

The guitar has a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and has put the Murphy Lab’s skillset to the test thanks to its unique finish quirk

Guitar World

ESP vs LTD Guitars: What's the difference?

Looking for a capable guitar for playing rock or metal? We explore the history, spec and tone characteristics of ESP and its affordable sub-brand LTD

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